Gavin Grades The Movies |
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| Posts from June 2009 |
Public Enemies
by Gavin
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posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
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 Director Michael Mann has had his slip-ups in the past. I mean, come on...what was with "Ali" and "Miami Vice?" But overall, I would consider him one of the dark horses in the world of great directors contest. "Collateral," "Last of the Mohicans," and "The Insider" are all incredible films. However, "Heat" has to be one of the best gangster movies of all time and without a doubt I can say that "Public Enemies" holds up just fine with those. One of my favorite things about "Public Enemies" was the attention to detail they put into it. The movie is based on John Dillinger, who was one of the most infamous gangsters of all time. Johnny Depp plays this charismatic character from American History with his token swagger and suave mumble. His nemesis is Christian Bale (who won't seem to stop making movies!) who portrays Melvin Purvis who was hired by J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) to hunt him down; dead or alive. Besides the excitement of watching Dillinger scheme and dream his way to infamy, is the sub-plot of the FBI's early days and their use of scientific detecting for the first time. They also got the true life story extremely accurate, all the way down to the colors some characters were wearing at significant moments. But I only know that because I happened to see a special on Dillinger before seeing the movie. If you weren't that lucky, not only will you not notice those details but you also might be a little lost through the sluggish first half. There's no backstory other than a few sentences at the opening, so make sure you prepare for a saga that starts right away. Characters you may or may not recognize from history pop up in the story which might amuse you if you do actually recognize them. One of my favorite moments from "Heat" is the HUGE shootout that takes place in the center of a city. If you can imagine that scene in the 1930s you're well on your way to picturing some of the most exciting gun fights in this movie and in any other movie recnetly too. Michael Mann knows how to do a shootout! He also takes his stab at romance by focusing on the story of Dillinger's real life girlfriend, Billie (who's played wonderfully by Oscar winner Marion Cotillard.) Does he do that well? Eh. Just like Mann's action sequences, he likes to jump right to the good stuff. That sums up this movie as a whole. It doesn't spend too much time developing the story because that's not nearly as exciting as the drama and violence that's coming.
Public Enemies (Rated R)
Gavin Grade: B+
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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
by Gavin
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posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
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 Remember that feeling you had when you were leaving the theater after seeing "Star Wars: Episode 1?" Remember how sad you were and how it felt like someone took something that you loved and turned it into crap? That's what happened with the sequel to what I consider one of the most fun and awesome summer blockbusters ever made. I honestly couldn't have been more excited for this! And the movie starts off great too! There's an action sequence right off the bat, followed by funny interactions with star Shia LaBeouf and his parents, who are still played by the hilarious Julie White and Kevin Dunn. But as soon as he goes off to college, this movie takes a sad and pathetic turn for the worse. It's remorsefully expected that through the warped eyes of director Michael Bay college would seem more like a beer commercial or music video. But what's even worse than sitting through those horrible and mind-bogglingly stupid scenes is that we still have another 110 minutes to go before the end of the movie. We get one robot fistfight to hold us over through the rest of the excruciating movie until we get anymore action. Thank God that scene is a good one. But the plot gets downright ridiculous and bogged down in innate rabbit trails. It runs into the same problem that lots of sequels to successful action movies have - the plot is too complex, it introduces too many new characters and it forgets what made the first one so good. This may have been one of the biggest movie letdowns I've ever had. The first one was such a fun movie that I went and saw it several times in the theaters. But "Revenge of the Fallen" had me actually bored for long stretches of the 147 minute runtime. The line "this isn't over" is uttered by someone at the end of the movie...I hope to hell it is.
Transformers 2Â (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: D+
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Away We Go
by Gavin
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posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
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 The one problem with a dramedy is that it's really hard to do well. It never commits to either being a comedy or a drama so the scenes that venture in either direction are either not as funny as they could be or not as dramatic as their suppose to be taken. That seems to be the problem with this. I wanted to love this movie since I saw the trailer. It stars John Krasinski (The Office) and Maya Rudolph (SNL) as a couple who are about to have a baby who travel to different cities trying to figure out where they want to live after finding out their only living parents are moving to Belgium. It's written by David Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida. They're both very accomplished novelists who basically used their own lives to create this story, and although many parts are fictional, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that most of it is true. It's directed by Sam Mendes who is an amazing director who's done "American Beauty," "Jarhead," "Road to Perdition," and "Revolutionary Road." He does a wonderful job guiding his characters through complex scenes of humor and tragedy, just like he did in other films. But it just never seemed to grip me the way his movies did in the past. But what I did like was the concept behind the film. Krasinski and Rudolph see lots of friends and family in all these cities and through that they see lots of different styles of families that are out there. Some of these are hilarious and some are downright depressing. All of them are championed by an amazing cast of actors that range from Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara. Besides realizing the different ways they don't want to raise a family they also see the different problems that having a family can create. I thought that was really touching to see. And while experiencing this, they begin to work out their own issues as well. Again, it's a really great concept. Did it translate as well as it should have - probably not. I can't even really say where it lacked. There are some belly laughs, Krasinski delivers another excellent performance and the film feels soft and inviting. However I never knew how to interpret most of the scenes. I was confused on what the goal of the film was. I wasn't really shaken by any of the drama and I wasn't dying from most of the jokes. I just kind of sat there and enjoyed watching the journey these two were taking. And judging by the types of characters Krasinski and Rudolph played...I imagine that's all they would want from me in return.
Away We Go (Rated R)
Gavin Grade: B
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Year One
by Gavin
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posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
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 There once was a time when would consider myself a huge Jack Black fan, but sadly that ship has not only sailed but it also sunk. It's not that Black isn't funny, but it's that his specific style of humor is the same for every single movie he's in. Michael Cera is also just like that. Luckily I'm not over Michael Cera yet and he's funny enough in this movie to compensate for the moments where Black isn't. The moments where neither are funny, (which are few) they're compensated by the amazing supporting cast that includes Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt and David Cross. To call this movie another dumb summer comedy is an injustice. If anything, this may be one of the smartest comedies I've seen in a while. Sure there are dumb, gross-out jokes in it, but the overall concept is genius. It's written and directed by comedy legend Harold Ramis (who also has a role in the film). It has the feel of a comedy skit drawn out into a 90 minute movie that never once gets old. The fact that it's also a historical comedy reminds me of and stands up to the likes of Mel Brooks' "History of the World Part I" and Monty Python's "Life of Brian." Oh, and when I say "historical" don't think for a second that it's anywhere close to historically accurate. But it's mostly a send up to biblical stories from the Old Testament, but never once really mocks them.  I personally thought that Oliver Platt steals the movie by playing a transgender priest who has the hots for Cera's character. There is one scene in particular between them that had me laughing so hard that my eyes were tearing up. This movie proves once again that Harold Ramis has the comedic know-how to allow his actors to improvise lines on a hilarious story he creates and executes it so well that it appealed to the theological and historical intellect and the fratboy jackass that lies in me. He played two styles of comedy like that in "Caddyshack," in "Analyze This" (and "That") and in "Groundhog Day," and now he did it again with "Year One."
Year One (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: A-
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Terminator Salvation
by Gavin
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posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
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 Terminator Salvation (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: C
I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to seeing this movie. It might be because I wasn't super excited to see it. I'm a fan of the Terminator movies, but I think the third one sucked the fun out of it for me. I only saw it once and didn't really remember much about it. But the good news is that you don't have to see the third one to know what's going on in the story. You do, however, need to know the first two pretty damn well. If you're gonna try to relaunch a franchise your go-to guy in Hollywood right now is Christian Bale, who plays the hero of the series John Connor. The problem is that he didn't have a whole lot to contribute to this other than inexplicably screaming most of his lines and yawning through the rest. The good news is, he's not the star...well, not really. The star is a new character (as far as I can remember) named Marcus, who's introduced to help The Resistance (or is he?). He's played by unknown actor Sam Worthington, who you better get used to seeing since he's the star of three major Hollywood blockbusters coming out in the next year. I thought he was great and thank God he was because you needed someone to carry this movie. It was almost like the film was working with an unfinished script; the story was almost there. It was a neat concept but not thought through all the way. Of course that wasn't helped by director, McG ("Charlie's Angels" movies) either, who has mostly done music videos. He likes to make movies as if the celluloid itself is on drugs. But I liked his choice to deplete the movie of color, which is very different for him. It aided the post apocalyptic look and helped the special effects seem more real. There were some cheesy retro lines of dialogue and even a cameo by a rediculous-looking Arnold, that really didn't seem necessary. But you're willing to forget most of that and sit back with your snack and enjoy the action for what it is. But what it's not is a jumpstart to the franchise to get me excited about the innevitable fifth one.
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The Taking of Pelham 123
by Gavin
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posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
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 Taking of Pelham 123 (Rated R)
Gavin Grade: C+
I went and saw this at a free sneak preview and with about 5 minutes left to the movie about 20-50 people got up and left the theater. They walked out of a FREE SHOW EARLY! The movie is FAR from being bad enough to deserve that, but it's still not very good. It was directed by Tony Scott, who I've never really been a fan of. If you've seen any of his other movies, such as "Man on Fire," "Top Gun," "Deja Vu" or "True Romance;" you know that he's a big fan of making his films feel like a music video. They have random edits, bright colors and camera effects that don't seem to make any sense (in this case he uses a lot of blurred lenses and freeze frame shots). But I will give him one thing, he does action very well. The problem is that this movie doesn't have any. John Travolta is the charismatic bad guy and Denzel Washington is the reluctant good guy. These two character types show up in almost all of Tony Scott's movies and he directs them well. I can't give him too much credit on this though since this is a remake of a 1974 film which is based on a popular book by the same name. The fact that the movie is a talkie disguised as an action flick doesn't bother me at all. It's the fact that the story (which has been obviously updated a lot) doesn't let me know how to feel about the characters. Hostages are dying, time is running out, the f-word is being screamed a lot, but there's still time to crack jokes. The humor is all through this movie and it breaks up the tension, but it breaks up the tension too much and never gets a chance to build. And in a movie that only has tension to keep you interested, you got nothing left but good acting from great actors. Speaking of great actors, James Gandolfini plays the Mayor of New York City and steals the show in what would've been the most meaningless role for the film if John Turturro wasn't in it as a hostage negotiator who serves even less of a purpose. However I do have to say that my favorite character was New York City itself. It made me miss it a lot. It's the living, breathing force in the film that helps define all the characters in it. It sets the stage for the plot, the motive, the means, and the action...no matter how small the dosage is and how long you have to wait to get it.
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Tyson
by Gavin
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posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
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 Tyson (Rated R)
Gavin Grade: B+
It's a widely accepted theory that Mike Tyson is one of two or three greatest boxers to ever live. I remember being a kid and watching him fight on TV and thinking that he was unstoppable. Of course as I and Tyson got older I found out that not only was he stoppable, but he stopped himself. I became less and less of a fan of his. But what this documentary, by director James Tobak, did was show exactly what it would be like if you were a trusted friend of Mike Tyson's and he invited you into his home and told you his life story as honestly as he could. I guess in a lot of ways, that's what a true documentary is suppose to be. But this movie doesn't cover one man's life really but covers one man talking about his life. Tyson, who doesn't stop talking through the entire film, doesn't spare us any major milestone. He talks about growing up in Brooklyn as a little criminal, his climb to fame, his scandalous marriage, his horrible money management, and even why he bit off Holyfield's ear during a fight. He talks about his rape conviction, to which he still insists that he's innocent of and does a good job of convincing you of that. Even though he was found guilty, it makes you wonder why a guy who's being so honest that he would admit to his STDs he's caught, would still lie about committing a crime he already served jailtime for. What was one of the most insightful moments was watching him talk about his first coach, Cus D'Amato. This is a man who saved him from the ghetto and a life of crime and was the only father he ever had. Tyson breaks down and cries while talking about him and you get the feeling that you're watching a rare sight of a dangerous wild animal be tender to its young. You feel for Tyson at the same you feel uneasy around him. The movie isn't made for fans nor does it attempt to make you a fan. It just is what it is...and so is Tyson. It's a portrait of a complex, scary, frightened and insecure man who shares in his own words every win and every loss...and what happened inside the ring as well. It's sad, tragic, scary and inspiring, which mirrors the man himself I feel after watching it.
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Drag Me to Hell
by Gavin
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posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
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 Drag Me to Hell (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: A-
The trailer for this movie proudly announced "Sam Raimi's triumphant return to Horror" and boy they couldn't be more right. Director Sam Raimi, who you probably know from the Spiderman movies, is a cult hero of mine and many other fans of film because of some of his earliest movies which are The Evil Dead triology. These movies are a mix of slapstick comedy, gross out effects and scary, scary stories and images. "Drag Me to Hell" is not only following in that same line, but has kicked it up a notch. When I saw this, there were a bunch of idiot teenagers sitting in the back of the theater talking loudly and screaming at the screen. My girlfriend, Stacy, was getting more and more annoyed, but I told her that if you're going to see any movie with a rowdy theater, Sam Raimi movies are the ones to see. You know, it's no easy task to not only make a movie that is hilarious and terrifying with equal parts yet still maintain a purely fun movie going experience. His use of color and sound amazes me in this film. 100% of the suspense is created purely by the sound effects and the amazing music score. The special effects are decent enough for what it was aiming for. I frankly would be a little bummed if the King of the B Movies suddenly got a $100 million budget dropped in his lap to make a horror film. There aren't any big names or even famous faces in this except for maybe Justin Long (who, at the very least, you'll recognize as the Mac guy.) But stealing the show is Alison Lohman, who I last saw in Tim Burton's "Big Fish." For being an adorable, angel-faced doe, she really holds her own as the star of this VERY physical role that's very much like the Bruce Campbell role in The Evil Dead films. Please don't see this film expecting the types of horror that we've only had to chew on for the past few years. This is a rare breed of horror that doesn't come along very often and when it does it's meant to be enjoyed for exactly the only reason it was made...to have fun.
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The Hangover
by Gavin
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posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
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 The Hangover (Rated R)
Gavin Grade: B
This movie is from the creator of "Old School," Todd Phillips. Now he got his start at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in NYC. I actually worked there when he did and it hurts a little bit when I see his movie covered in people that I used to work with there. I should've hung in there longer. Ha! I just needed to say that but anyway... Whether or not you enjoy this movie is based on whether or not you think that a single joke can last 90 minutes. My answer to that is no it can't. However it can get you to about 60 minutes and it's a really, really funny 60 minutes. "The Hangover" stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and comedian Zach Galifianakis and is about three guys waking up in Vegas after an insane bachelor party and trying to remember what happened and find their friend, Doug. That premise is awesome for the first two-thirds of the story. But after a while this joke wears real thin. In fact I laughed till I hurt until we were in the homestrech of the movie and then I don't think I laughed at all. However, the end credits helps you forget how unfunny the last act is by being one of the best parts of the movie. One thing you also need to know is that this movie is not the family comedy of the year. I don't know how many of these films need to come out before people catch on to what an "R" rating means. But the raunch and cheap thrills offered in this don't compare to other "R" rated comedies that came out this year. "I Love You, Man" and "Observe and Report" I thought were offensive and edgy but were still really creative. Their characters had debth and were unique and complex, which as a movie fan is really a treat to see in a comedy. It's not that I didn't like "The Hangover," because I totally did; I guess I've just grown to expect a little more out of my comedies lately. I like my characters to be a little three dimensional and a little less cookie-cutter. But at the same time, how can anyone who's ever woken up after a blackout night of drinking not love at least the first half of this movie?
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